Tigers Gather in Riga Again: Business Tiger 2013

Five years ago, when I attended the final event of a competition organised by Dienas Bizness - then called "Sales Tiger" - I was proud that people like this were working and fighting in Latvia. I also made an inner decision then that I would one day be part of this competition and event, even though I didn't know how or when. A couple of years ago, learning that Dienas Bizness was looking for a new collaboration partner, I dug my claws into this project - and now, this year already for the second year running, we are working together with the wonderful girls from the Dienas Bizness Conferences department, led and held together by a purposeful and lovely woman, Ilze Černova.

Luckily, the lightest, most enjoyable, and at the same time most responsible role in this event has fallen to me - to sit on the jury and meet interesting people: successful entrepreneurs, business leaders, and team managers. I have always been convinced - and it is true - that participating in such a competition is excellent self-promotion for the company you represent. But there is another important aspect: you take part not to convince others that you can do it, but to prove it to yourself - I can do this.

I am also gratified that the competition has transformed its focus from salespeople to business people. Because if you are someone who leads and does things, you need to know how to sell in any case - otherwise you simply won't achieve anything. "Selling" an idea to a business partner, "selling" a vision to the team, "selling" yourself as a good speaker to an audience, and so on.

This year's Business Tiger 2013 title went to Jānis Kossovičs, director of Optic Guru, who proved that the family business model is also successful in the Latvian market. In my view, the foundation of this company's success lies in the owner's personal expertise in the field, the people he can rely on, and the willingness to invest significant resources in marketing. Jānis emphasised a long-known truth: that everything simple is genius, and that there is no need to reinvent the wheel - but it must be a different wheel.

Among the finalists were also three other successful leaders with their own years-in-the-making approach, which it was interesting for the gathered audience to learn about. Commendation prizes were received by Arnolds Babris, Chairman of the Board of Brīvais Vilnis; Jānis Bethers, Chairman of the Board of Enefit; and Artūrs Pielēns-Pelēns, Head of the Private and Business Client Support Division at Lattelecom.

The second part of the conference day was no less interesting, as three charismatic speakers - professionals in their respective fields - took the stage and shared ideas worth thinking about and possibly adopting into your own management style. During the event I got to know one of the speakers, leadership development coach Iveta Apine, who spoke on the topic of what it means to be a leader. It is a broad topic that cannot be contained in half an hour. But here are a few insights I gained:

- Every person's biography can be viewed in two ways: what you have achieved and what hasn't worked out. And paradoxically, if a person writes down a list of the things they haven't achieved, they gain a deeper breath, a sense of freedom, and potential. There is no need to hold your breath to keep up the pretence of how good you are.

- Leadership has three essential qualities: humility, clarity, and courage. Humility has nothing to do with grovelling. Clarity is essential - if you yourself don't understand where you are going, how will you be able to lead others? And the courage must be there to say how things really are. There also needs to be a certain courage to fight with yourself - because in becoming a leader, the greatest battle is the one you must fight with yourself, from within.

- "A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd." /Max Lucado/ A leader must be ready to stand alone with whatever support system they have built up. Moreover, if necessary, support should be sought at one's own level and not from the team or the employees one leads.

- Being a leader means letting go of the desire to be liked. You cannot and must not try to please everyone. "Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes." /Peter Drucker/

- "Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others." /Jack Welch/ A company is always in the image and likeness of its leader. Don't spare the time to tell people what you expect of them. Don't let employees settle into the comfort zone - lead by your own example. Be a good teacher, because it is a wonderful opportunity to learn yourself. Always give feedback, but don't just evaluate.

- A person is as happy as a small child only when they are capable of creating something.

Photo: Ritvars Skuja, Dienas Bizness   More photos >>> http://www.db.lv/foto-video/foto/biznesa-tigeris-parada-savus-ilknus-395665